Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स कदाचिन्नृपश्रेष्ठ मृगासक्तोऽर्बुदं गतः । अपश्यत्सानुदेशे च मृगीं शिशुसमावृताम्

Transliteration

sa kadācinnṛpaśreṣṭha mṛgāsakto'rbudaṃ gataḥ | apaśyatsānudeśe ca mṛgīṃ śiśusamāvṛtām

Translation

Pada suatu ketika, wahai raja yang terbaik, kerana asyik dengan buruan baginda pergi ke Arbuda. Di sana, di lereng berhutan, baginda melihat seekor rusa betina dikelilingi anak-anaknya.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कदाचित्: once
• कदाचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: once/sometime)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन; समासः—नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः

• मृगासक्तः: attached to deer (hunting-crazed)
• मृगासक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृग + आसक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; समासः—मृगे आसक्तः (attached to hunting/deer)

• अर्बुदम्: to Arbuda (mountain/region)
• अर्बुदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• गतः: gone
• गतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्तरि (gone)

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सानुदेशे: in a nearby region
• सानुदेशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + अनुदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः—स- (सह/सम्) + अनुदेश (region)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• मृगीम्: a doe
• मृगीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• शिशुसमावृताम्: surrounded by young ones
• शिशुसमावृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिशु + समावृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; समासः—शिशुभिः समावृता (surrounded by fawns)

Speaker

Paulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (श्रेष्ठ नृप) addressed within the frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Arbuda’s wooded slope, the hunter-king spots a doe encircled by her fawns—an image of innocence framed against a sacred mountain landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda
• Suprabha (king)
• doe (mṛgī)
• fawns (śiśu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A moral turning point is staged: the hunter meets vulnerable life, preparing the narrative for remorse, correction, and tīrtha-based purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda region is the setting within which Kapilā Tīrtha’s māhātmya unfolds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it sets the scene for the ensuing event.